Alpha's Regret: His Wrongful Rejection

My chest tightens. It’s hard to imagine young Justus, skinning a skunk, while little Annie baked pies. He’s been the bugbear of my life for so long, I’ve never considered that we were both young at the same time. We both had mothers who loved us. Mabli talks about Alys like she’s not here anymore….

I drop my gaze to the pot of water. “Careful. It’s really hot,” I say to cover the fact that I saw, and she knows it, and now her face is blazing pink. She resettles herself, making sure she’s tucked tightly, and begins to gently shake tea into the strainers with her upper arms plastered…

I stand and stretch, cracking my back. “I promised my mate fresh meat.” It’s the truth, but every male on the log, including Rodric, looks at me like I’m full of shit. No male would leave their new mate when there’s plenty of good food in camp. Thankfully, Alroy and Khalil arrive. Neither looks good….

He’d held me by the scruff of the neck and scrubbed me clean in the river while I fought and bit, and then he fed me and threw me in a pile with the other pups who’d lost everyone. He kept watch over us every night until Elspeth finally let him sleep in her den,…

I unfold the case, already knowing what I’ll find, and I’m right. There are slots filled with every size needle and crochet hook you could want, as well as a pouch with a thimble, scissors, and a random assortment of safety pins, straight pins, buttons, and a few threaders for good measure. I take out…

I want to say sorry. I didn’t want to make things weird—well,weirder —but I didn’t have a choice either. When the panic hits, seeking reassurance is a compulsion. If I don’t, I freak out, and then things get really, really weird. I wish I could explain, but he’s an angry male, so I’m not about…

Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men. The pages are sepia and brittle as fall leaves. I’ve never heard of it. I’m not much of a reader of books. I’m too distractible. When the money started to come in from the farmers’ market, I got into audiobooks, though. The sound doesn’t exactly…

“When are you taking me home?” I blurt because I don’t dare ask him about beds. His shoulder blades snap together. That amazement in his eyes flickers out. My stomach sinks. I’ve made things heavy again. I curl my toes into the rug and hug my knees tighter. “Later,” he says. Never. They have you…

His lips quirk. “Are you changing the subject again already, Annie?” My heart rate kicks up another beat. He says that like he knows me. He doesn’t. But the way he says my name like he’s accustomed to it—I don’t hate it. I hold the book a little higher. His lips curl higher. “It’s about…

“Mudded it?” “To hide my scent.” “You did that on purpose?” “You thought I kept it that way?” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Because I’m ‘Last Pack’ as your people say? And we’re wild animals.” I drop my hand to my lap. That is what we’re taught. Justus’s mouth curves down, his…